Is this appropriate during Mass?

[jackxowen]

I am not sure that getting young children interested in Mass is a goal that is even possible while Mass is being celebrated.

Well, there’s your problem. When an event which is as life-affirming as the celebration of God becoming man and justifying our own existence is shared in such a way that our youth are unaffected, it seems to indicate a problem with the community and not the message.

 

[Brendan_64]

Well, there’s your problem. When an event which is as life-affirming as the celebration of God becoming man and justifying our own existence is shared in such a way that our youth are unaffected, it seems to indicate a problem with the community and not the message.

Getting children interested in the Mass is of course important, but I would agree with YoungTradCath that during the Mass is not the place for the priest to go out of his way to adapt things in order to appeal to a particular section of the audience.

The practice of a separate Children’s Liturgy of the Word, in order that very young children can access the Scriptures and the Gospel at their level, is in my opinion a good thing, as the children are back for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but that really ought to be it. The Mass is the Mass, it is to enable all of the People of God to celebrate and partake in the Sacrifice of Our Lord, and the Pascal Mystery. It ought not to be adapted in order to meet the perceived needs of, or to try to specifically interest, particular sections of the congregation.

 

[Brendan_64]

If the Holy See ever incorporates into the GIRM the gesture, or even mentions it somewhere, matters will change. To this point, however, it is not - to keep the thread title - appropriate (just like receiving a blessing instead of Holy Communion).

I think it would be useful if there was actually more, rather than less, instruction from Rome on matters concerning standardising of practice in the Liturgy. Although I’m not sure that Pope Francis sees this as a priority in the way that his two predecessors did.

Perhaps the view is that things are now at a decent level as far as ensuring standardisation, with the excesses of the 1970s well and truly reigned in, so regular prescriptive instruction is not a major priority. I just hope we don’t have too many individual priests (or bishops) waiting and ready to interpret any slight indication of a loosening of central control as a green light to return to the days of ‘liturgical innovation’.

 

[Emerald_Isle]

I am deeply disappointed with the ‘everything by the book’ mentality being displayed here. The Mass. the Gospels, all of it, belongs to the people of God! A little more humility, less concern for rubrics and more joy for the Good News, whoever reads it, would seem more appropriate particularly having regard to the many challenges to faith which we face in the world today.

 

[jimkhong]

I am deeply disappointed with the ‘everything by the book’ mentality being displayed here. The Mass. the Gospels, all of it, belongs to the people of God! A little more humility, less concern for rubrics and more joy for the Good News, whoever reads it, would seem more appropriate particularly having regard to the many challenges to faith which we face in the world today.

Didn’t some carpenter’s son say something about the tyranny of religious laws?